Easy Homemade Peach Jam with No Pectin

When life gives you a bushel of fresh peaches this summer, then you should make buckets of homemade peach jam – no pectin needed!

I love jams. Ever since I was a kid, my breakfast would consist of bread (of any form), cheese (feta or cream cheese) and jam. This is my total-comfort food.

I especially love homemade jam. Store bought jam is fine, but it usually has way more sugar than I prefer. I want to taste the fruit no the sugar.

And if you have sweet summer peaches, then you’ll swoon over this homemade peach jam – never going back to the tooth cracking sweet stuff they sell at the stores.

Why this recipe is so awesome

As a bona fide jam lover, I love all forms of fruit jam. From strawberry rhubarb jam to pomegranate jelly, I love them all. My latest obsession is peach jam.

Peaches are seriously one of my favorite fruits. And it is only perfect and sweet for about a month or two a year. Besides devouring them as is, I love make peach crisp, peach blueberry pie or sip a sparkling peach sangria during these months.

But I also love to make some delicious peach jam. If you love jam, you need this recipe in your jam arsenal. Plump sweet peaches gracing your buttered toast is like enjoying a warm smile.

I follow my aunt’s method for jam making, which she learned from her mother growing up in the mid-west living on a farm. You cut up the fruit of your choice and mix it with sugar and lemon juice. Then, you cover it and let it sit overnight.

The sugar brings out the fruit’s natural juices and you end up using less sugar in the jam and you don’t need to add pectin. I do add a bit of lemon juice as citrus fruits are naturally full of pectin.

The result is a fabulously golden and sweet peach jam that your family will love.

Ingredients you need

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• Peaches: Be sure to use sweet ripe peaches. The quality of the fruit you use will affect the quality and flavor of your jam. You can use frozen peaches, but I prefer fresh. You can use yellow or white peaches.
• Granulated Sugar: I typically use regular granulated sugar for jam making, but you can use brown sugar or honey.
• Lemon: Citrus fruits are naturally high in pectin, so I add a little lemon juice and zest to my peach jam. It also keeps the peaches from browning, or oxidizing once peeled and cut.

Step-by-step directions

1. Peel, pit and coarsely chop the peaches.

2. In a large bowl or pot combine chopped peaches, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Let peach mixture sit for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

3. After sitting overnight, the peaches will be swimming in their juices

4. Over medium heat, bring peach mixture to boil slowly, stirring often to prevent sticking. Reduce temperature to medium-low if peach mixture is about to boil out of your pot. Use a spoon to remove any foam.

5. Cook until thickened, approximately 1 hour. Use a potato masher to break down the bigger chunks of peaches. If you want a smoother jam, use a hand blender and blend everything in the pot.

6. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or add into sterilized jars and can using my hot water canning method.

Recipe tips and FAQs

As I mentioned before, what makes this recipe so great is that you control the ingredients and the sugar quantity. By letting the fruit sit overnight with the sugar and lemon, the fruit’s natural pectin gets released.

This method can be done to make almost any fruit jam.

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

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